Scottish clubs like Rangers and Celtic are set to enter a really tough time after Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon made it clear that mass gathering might be prohibited for the next couple of months in the country.
While she has hinted that the spread of the disease was at its peak in the country but still they will have to take all the necessary precautions in order to ensure the safety of all the citizens. And this would mean that there are set to be a series of restrictions especially when it comes to large gatherings.
The First Minister said, as reported: “Careful balances will have to be struck.
“For example, it may be that certain businesses in certain sectors can re-open. But only if they can change how they work to keep employees and customers two metres distant from each other.
“Similarly with schools, classrooms may have to be redesigned to allow social distancing – so maybe not all children can go back to or be at school at the same times.
“Some limited outdoor activity might be able to restart earlier than indoor activity. But let me be clear: big gatherings and events are likely to be off for some months to come.
“What I’ve just set out are not firm decisions, but they do illustrate the kind of options that we will be assessing.”
And immediately after this statement, there have been fears within the SPFL clubs(namely Celtic and Rangers)and with the board due to the fact that most of the clubs in the country rely on gate receipts as a large source of their income.
As per a report from UEFA, the gate receipts make up as much as 43% of the Scottish clubs’ income which is higher than any other country in Europe right now.
One of the giants of Scottish football, Celtic FC earns around €1.3 million per match and hence if the matches in the coming few months are played behind closed doors then all these clubs will lose out on a substantial amount of money – forcing some even into liquidation.
Apart from this, research from the University of Strathclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute suggests that Scottish football contributes around £200million to the country’s economy while supporting around 5,700 jobs. And all this will be at risk due to the closed-door matches.
Chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “As well as playing an extremely important role in the social and cultural life of Scotland, this new research underlines the very significant economic contribution which SPFL clubs and their hundreds of thousands of fans make to the Scottish economy.
“At a time when vital decisions will be made by Government about when we can resume matches, we’re sure these findings will make an important contribution to the decision-making process.
“Aside from the crucial importance of the game to the mental wellbeing and sense of community in Scotland, the Fraser of Allander study demonstrates the vital economic importance to the country of matches resuming as soon as it is safe to do so.”
